Page 43 - The Cormorant 2018

Burns Night –
25 January 2018 Wing Commander Dave Tait
SCOTLAND’S NATIONAL BARD WOULD have been humbled by the packed-out Victory Dining Room in honour of his name. The
splendid evening contained the rousing music of the Pipes and Drums from 1st Battalion Scots Guards, as well as an eclectic mix of
theatrics, poetry and humorous prose. The Officers’ Mess was privileged to have not only strong representation form the Higher, Advanced, and Intermediate Courses, but also 60 guests from the United States Army and key members of the United Kingdom’s Defence Industry. Amongst the guests was also a strong international contingent, who after sampling haggis and perhaps a small ‘nip’, began to ignore the patterned skirts that the men insisted on wearing and the incomprehensible poetry, and embraced the evening for what it was – a cultural and heartening tribute to a poor Scottish farmer who believed in love, equality, and nature. The evening culminated with a ceilidh in the spectacular setting of the College’s Forum, where despite some initial hesitation, guests soon realised that there is little grace to Scottish Reeling and would subsequently throw themselves into the melee!
If Burns was looking down upon the College, I am sure he would have been smiling and perhaps wryly agreeing that: ‘The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men’.....don’t always ‘Gang aft a-gley’!
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